Personalabs has lowered the cost of their most comprehensive STD testing panel by over $90.

The Recent STD Exposure Panel ($389) is for people who have potentially been exposed to an STD. It includes tests for Hep B & C, Syphilis, Genital Herpes, Gonorrhea, Chlamydia and HIV. The HIV test is the ‘HIV Proviral DNA by PCR’ which can detect the presence of HIV infection after 28 days from possible exposure.

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They say that “every rose has its thorn” and glam rocker Bret Michaels has been feeling the pain lately. Diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at six years old, he has done more than manage his disease. He has blown it out of the water. He embraced everything a rocker lifestyle has to offer – the good, the bad and the ugly – and showed the world that living with diabetes is just another way of life. In fact, most of his fans didn’t even know he had diabetes, until his first concert at Madison Square Garden where he went out on stage pumped and ready and woke up later in a hospital room recovering from diabetic shock. After passing out on stage, to assuage rumors of drug overdose, he came clean and told everybody about his diabetes.

Time goes on, and to his credit, he embraced his celebrity and officially became one of the American Diabetes Associations’ favorite people. After becoming a contestant on Celebrity Apprentice he brought a national spotlight to the cause and raised $100,000 for diabetes camps in the very first episode.

Then, the trouble began. After a life threatening brain hemorrhage, his road to recovery – while quite impressive – hit yet another road bump. This road bump is quite familiar to many with diabetes. He had a stroke. Actually, he had a transient ischemic attack (TIA), or a warning stroke. Perhaps trying to endear himself to the American Heart Association, whose campaign this month is to recognize stroke symptoms, he was readmitted to the hospital with numbness on one side. They also found that he has a hole in his heart.

Ladies and gentlemen, here is the uglier side of diabetes. It’s a fact that diabetes contributes to a higher incidence of stroke and heart disease. While the link has not been confirmed with Michaels, there’s probably a pretty good chance that it will be.

Diabetes is not something to mess around with. If you have it, monitor it very carefully. If you’re not sure if you have it, get tested to find out. Michaels’ proclaimed “wild and crazy” life cannot have contributed positively to his health. Careful monitoring of blood sugar, glucose and hemoglobin along with positive diet and exercise decisions will significantly improve your chances of living a long and healthy life as a diabetic. Although Michaels has adopted this lifestyle now, could the years of abusing his body be catching up to him?

He seems to be getting a second and third chance to make changes. Many diabetics don’t get that luxury. Diabetes leads to heart disease and stroke. Monitor it well and make choices now because you may not get a second chance.

http://forecast.diabetes.org/magazine/only-online/rocker-bret-michaels-tackles-diabetes-celebrity-apprentice

You’re Never Too Old for an STD
The world we live in is drastically different than the one in which our current over 60 population grew up. Think back to the 1940s, 50s and 60s for a minute. Nice girls didn’t do it. It was NOT talked about except among the boys and the worst thing that could happen was getting your girl pregnant. Back then, pregnancy was tantamount to syphilis and gonorrhea because it couldn’t be cured. Although syphilis and gonorrhea have been around forever, the advent of penicillin made them easy to hide. So the only outward sign of a nice girl (or a not so nice girl) having sex was pregnancy. Fast boys on the other hand never had to ‘fess up – except around their buddies.

Fast forward to 2010. Every other commercial on television seems to promote a male enhancement drug. Divorces that waited until the children were out of the house are on the rise and the first Baby Boomers are reaching retirement age. Baby Boomers were at a prime age when the sexual revolution was in full swing. But that was in the 1960s and 1970s. In essence, there are a bunch of people today having sex who grew up in the 1940s, 50s, 60s and 70s and have never been educated about STDs and STIs. HIV was not discovered yet. Neither were Chlamydia, genital herpes, hepatitis B, hepatitis C, and many other sexually transmitted diseases and sexually transmitted infections (STD/STI).
Somewhere between the soda shop and online dating sites, something very insidious happened to sex. It started to carry a price tag far greater than pregnancy. Today’s youth are much more informed about sexually transmitted diseases and sexually transmitted infections or illnesses than their older counterparts were. Young people for the most part use protection if they choose to have sex. Their grandparents don’t.
If the only thing you’re worried about is pregnancy, today’s older generation is basically in the clear. After menopause, you can’t get pregnant. Why use a condom if you can’t make a baby? Well, because you’re never too old to get an STD or STI. The scary part is that if you have symptoms, you’re lucky. Most of the STDs and STIs don’t carry any symptoms. So someone who has picked up an STD or STI can pass it around without ever knowing it.
Another problem facing today’s 60+ generation is the conversation with their doctor or lack thereof. Imagine a 30 something physician looking at an 80 something patient and asking if he’s using protection when having sex. Or, imagine that same 80-year-old talking to the equivalent of his or her grandchild about having safe sex. It’s uncomfortable all around. It’s not a conversation anyone wants to have, but it is critically important.
Finally, there could be an “I don’t really care if I have an STD” mentality in the older set. They think that because they are in their 70s, 80s and beyond something else will kill them before an STD or STI. They may be right. What they aren’t realizing though is that they may be passing those diseases and infections on to much younger partners without even realizing it. I don’t think they would want to do that if they thought about it.

So, to update the older generation on STDs and STIs, here is a handy checklist to consider:
1) Getting tested is the only way to know for certain if you have an STD or STI.
2) HIV is transferred among men and women now. Women represent the fastest growing number of new cases.
3) You are at risk of contracting an STD or STI if you have unprotected sex with anyone who has had unprotected sex with another partner.
4) Many STDs and STIs are curable.
5) Most STDs and STIs do not show outward symptoms.
6) Some STDs and STIs can cause acute liver damage and liver cancer.
7) Some STDs and STIs can be transmitted even if you wear a condom.
So for all of you out there enjoying your second (or third) go ‘round, please be aware that you are at risk for sexually transmitted diseases and infections. Safe sex is considered that which is enjoyed in a long-term monogamous relationship with a partner who has been tested and determined to be without infection. But if you can’t be sure, make sure to use a condom every time. Then get tested. Until June 1, anyone over the age of 50 can receive a 10% discount. Just enter coupon code OVER50.

When you think of AIDS and HIV, chances are, you immediately think of a skinny, sick-looking white male with his gay partner looking on with concern. That was the picture we saw over and over as HIV began to become noticeable. It was a gay man’s disease. Why then has HIV become the leading cause of death in African American women between the ages of 25 and 34?

Genetics?
What started out as a white man’s homosexually-transmitted disease has switched gender and race to become a black woman’s disease. There is quite a bit of speculation about why this is happening. Some studies link genetic possibilities. Evolutionary studies of Africans show a genetic trait that helps protect them from malaria. The bad news is that this genetic trait also makes them more susceptible to HIV. According to US News and World report, 60% of African Americans carry the trait and 90% of Africans carry it. The good news is that those carrying the trait live with the disease two years longer on average than those without the trait.

But this knowledge alone does no one any good. First of all, if you have the trait, there is nothing you can do about it. You can’t treat it, you can’t remove it, and you can’t change your body make-up. So who cares? Well, just because you have the trait doesn’t mean you have to have the disease. Trait or no trait, HIV is still something that is spread, not genetic. Therefore, other factors must contribute to the higher incidence of HIV/AIDs in women.

Biologically speaking
Women biologically are two times more likely to become infected during unprotected sex and to contract a sexually transmitted disease or infection. Like it or not, it’s the fact. Women have an open reproductive system and men have a closed system. Women bring stuff in, men send stuff out. Women are more vulnerable. Years ago, African American women blamed intravenous drug use as the greatest risk factor to contract HIV. Now, they are claiming heterosexual contact as the primary risk factor. But women of all colors, white included have heterosexual contact – why is AIDS so disproportionally impacting black women?

Poverty
Just like genetics, being poor does not give you AIDS. However, being poor does put you into situations where the risk factors are increased. More African American and Hispanic women are living below the poverty line than white women. That leads to an increase in the number of contributing factors such as prostitution, no health insurance, limited education, and less obvious – cultural differences. Many black children grow up in households where fathers are not present. Very strong and independent women raise them without the help of men. Young black boys who grow up in this environment may see having multiple partners as a norm and young black girls often see this as a standard way of living. With black men leading in the number of HIV cases overall, this leads to a volatile combination when infected men have concurrent sexual relationships with a variety of women. It makes the diseases spread faster.

Geographical
Studies have shown that living in the southern United States increases your chances of having HIV if you are a woman. Although only 29% of U.S. women live in the South, 76% of newly infected women come from that region. The South has the perfect prescription for HIV transmission. First, it has the highest poverty rates in the country, second, the most uninsured and third, the fewest high school graduates.

Other key factors
African American women and other women of color such as Hispanics, Pacific Islanders and Native American women carry the greatest risk for HIV infection. Combining biological vulnerability, lack of education, economic instability, domestic abuse, and lack of control in sexual relationships can be lethal to women.

Resources
If a woman, regardless of race, age or sexual preference, has had sexual encounters –with or without consent – they should be tested. If they test positive for HIV, there are many resources available to help them live with the disease. Early detection gives women a better chance of living a high quality life. For more information about HIV, here are some additional resources:

Kaiser Family Foundation: http://www.kff.org/hivaids/6092.cfm
Power Point Presentation: http://www.kaiseredu.org/tutorials/womenhiv/player.html
Women’s Health: http://www.womenshealth.gov/hiv/
Women’s Resources: http://www.thebody.com/content/art44411.html

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If you are feeling tired and lazy all the time you could be experiencing the symptoms of low testosterone levels.  Here is an article listing some of the symptoms of low test levels. 

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/experiencing+

If you are experiencing any of the related symptoms of low testosterone levels. 

Visit http://www.personalabs.com/Search.aspx?q=testosterone to get your levels check out today.

Genital Herpes and oral herpes can only be treated not cured.  But a July 2008 letter to the editor that appeared in Nature that that may not always be the case.

htpp://std.about.com/od/herpes/microrna.htm

According to a new article by The New York Times, Federal health officials are going on a new campaign to stop the spread of HIV and early detection is key to the success.  Health officials feel that if individuals are tested early and then treated right away, one community at a time, that they can eventually stop the spread of HIV.  In order to implement “test and treat” routine testing needs to be performed on every individual in a community and if one tests positive immediate treatment is begun.  Eventually, researchers would like for routine testing to be offered at doctor’s office, emergency rooms, etc.

To read more about “test and treat” click here

Personalabs and JustGetTested offer HIV testing

Enter MH2009 to receive 5% off at checkout

We are all aware of the vast differences between men and women, and according to a collection of studies over the past 10 years, the differences do not stop with heart disease and it’s symptoms.  Men are more likely to have the “Hollywood” style heart attack that is commonly depicted in TV and movies, whereas women are more likely to have chest pressure, indigestion, and shortness of breath.  Also, women are more likely to have ischemia which will not show up on an angiogram.  Heart disease kills more women than men per year, so it is very important for women to catch heart disease early.

To read the entire article that discusses this more in depth click here

What are your thoughts on the differences between women and men when it comes to heart disease?

Personalabs offers a variety of heart related tests and panels, including C-Reactive Protein, which women tend to have higher levels of and is a marker for heart disease.

Please accept this discount code for 5% off at checkout, MH2009

Could common food allergies be what is causing your child to be sick or have an illness. To learn more about it check out this article.

http://www.kidsallergies.co.uk/CommonFoodAllergiesInKids.html

To find out how you can get your child tested for these allergies check out Personalabs website. Please accept this 5% discount code at checkout MH2009